External hanger for garment carrying bag



J. SHEIMAN EXTERNAL HANGER FOR GARMENT CARRYING BAG April 20, 1965 Filed May 10, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet .1

IN VENTOR.

Juuu-s SHE/r14 BY 56441, A2441 April 20, 1965 J. SHEIMAN EXTERNAL HANGER FOR GARMENT CARRYING BAG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 10, 1962 IN VEN TOR. Juu us Sue-rim ing through the slot in the hemisphere.

United States Patent Office 3,179,363 Patented Apr. 20, 1965 This invention relates to an external hanger for a garrment carrying bag. The term garment carrying bag as used herein relates to a bag which popularly is known as a sack bag and specifically is a type of garmentcarrier that will accommodate garments and the like outstretched at full length when the bag is suspended by an end through the aforesaid hanger. The carrier, i.e. bag, is foldable about a transverse medial line to halve its major dimension for hand carrying purposes.

When garment carrying bags were unfolded to their full length they were adapted to be hung in such outstretched condition from a fixed hook or rod, for example, from a hook attached to a door or a wall, or from a rod secured in a closet. For this purpose one outer end surface of such garment carrying bag conventionally was provided with an external hook. However because the bag was folded for hand carrying purposes the outer end surface which was uppermost at such time as the bag was suspended at full length constituted a part of the bottom of the bag when the bag was folded. Therefore, in garment carrying bags of the character under consideration the external hook had to be capable of being swung from an extended position in which it could be used to hang the bag from a fixed support to a folded position in which the external hook laid flat against the outer end surface of the bag on which it was mounted.

In order to permit this swinging movement of the hook between operative and idle positions, bags of the character described heretofore have had an articulated joint, usually a swivel joint, between said outer end surface and the external hook. It has been the practice to make this joint limp, that is to say such that it would not maintain the hook in any particular position relative to the bag. For example, one type of such articulated joint has constituted a flexible strap provided with a bight to which an eye end of the hook was coupled. Another articulated joint which has been widely used constituted a ball and socket joint. In this latter type of joint an end of the hook was provided with a head which was captively retained within a slotted hemisphere, the shank of the hook extend- Suchjoint permitted the hook to be quickly swung 90 from flat to extended position. In addition, the hemisphere usually was rotatably secured to the outer end surface of the bag so as to allow the hook to be rotated to an out-of-the-Way position on said end surface.

lthough such construction was satisfactory for enabling the hook to be folded away to an unobtrusive position, it was subject to a serious drawback, to wit, difliculty in keeping the hook in an erect position when hanging the bag on a stationary hook or rod. Garment carrying bags are large and clumsy and are particularly difficult to handle when full of clothes, shoes and the like traveling paraphernalia. It is at this time, when with the bag heavily loaded and in fully extended position that the user tries to hang the clumsy bag on a stationary hook or on a closet pole. The user requires both hands to hold and manipulate the bag but because of the limp joint between the external hook and the bag he needs a third hand to hold the hook in a protruding position where it can be readily attached to the stationary hook or pole. In practice, the user requires some assistance from another person or has to juggle the bag so that with considerable elfort he finally will be able to couple the bag hook to the stationary hook or pole.

It is an object of my invention to provide a novel and unique joint between the external hook and the outer end surface of the bag which will enable the foregoing drawback to be overcome.

More specifically, it is an object of my present invention to provide a garment carrying bag having an external hook which is so jointed to the bag that it is capable of being swung by hand to any position relative to the bag and will maintain itself in such position while a user manipulates the bag to couple the hook to a fixed support.

It is another object of my present invention to provide a joint of the character described which does not hinder facile manipulation of the hook and which presents a compact and attractive appearance.

It is another object of my present invention to provide a joint of the character described which, if desired, may utilize the standard parts of a conventional swivel joint and adds thereto a minimum number of simple parts for converting the standard joint into one which can hold the hook in any angular position to which it may be swung.

It is another object of my present invention to provide a joint of the character described which is very easy to assemble and to mount on a garment carrying bag.

It is another object of my present invention to provide a joint of the character described which is rugged and foolproof in construction and operation and which is particularly easy to use.

I have ascertained moreover that although when the hook of a garment bag is maintained erect there is a marked improvement in the ease with which the bag can be hung from a stationary hook or a horizontal rod, considerable awkwardness in handling still remains because in order to couple the bag to a stationary hook or horizontal rod a person must manipulate (adjust) a heavily loaded bag in three dimensions (one vertical and two horizontal directions); that is to say, vertically for the purpose initially of clearing the fixed support (stationary hook or rod) and subsequently of lowering the hook on to the support, and also horizontally laterally (sideto-side) and horizontally in a front-to-back direction for the purpose of vertically aligning the hook with the support. These latter two horizontal adjusting movements (laterally and front-to-back) are difficult to perform accurately with a fully loaded bag and the difficulty is aggravated by total or partial concealment of the stationary support, i.e., the hook or rod, by the bag itself.

It is, therefore, a further objection of my invention to provide in conjunction with a joint of the character described a novel bag hook that allows the bag to be hung with essentially no horizontal adjusting movement whatsoever, that is to say, with only a guided vevtical movement, the two former horizontal adjusting movements, to wit, lateral and front-and-back movements being climinated insofar as delicate adjustments thereof are concerned.

Even more specifically, it is another object of my present invention to provide in conjunction with a joint of the character described a bag book of special configuration that enables the bag to be hung from the top edge of a door and for the purpose of so doing simply to raise the bag high enough, press it against the door and lower it. In this fashion the need for a lateral horizontal adjusting movement and a front-to-back horizontal adjusting movement is done away with.

It is another object of my invention to provide a bag with a novel external hook that enables the bag either to be hung in the aforesaid simple manner from the top edge of a door or alternatively allows the bag to be hung more conventionally from a stationary hook or a stationary horizontal rod, depending upon the wish of the user.

Other objects of my invention in part will be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

My invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of element and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the joint and bag hook hereinafter described and-ofrwhich the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown one of the various possible embodiments of my invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofa garment carrying bag (sack or car bag) in folded transportable condition);

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the garment carrying bag in outstretched full length condition and suspended from the top edge of a door;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detailed perspective View of a portion of the bottom of the bag showing the bag hook as it appears when folded flat against the bottom of the bag and secured thereto in such idle position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 1 and illustrating thebag hook and its swivel joint when the hook is in its fiat-folded position;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken substantially along the line 55 of FIG. 2 and illustrating the hook and its swivel joint when the hook is in an operative position wherein it engages the top edge of a door;

FIG, 6 is an exploded perspective view of certain elements of the swivel joint;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detailed perspective view of the bag hook and its swivel connection to an outer end wall of the bag, the hook being shown in full lines in its door engaging position and in dot and dash lines in its flatfolded idle position;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged side view of the bag and the top edge of a door, the hook being shown in proper preliminary position preparatory to being hung from said edge;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 but illustrating the bag, the hook and the door, after the bag has been lowered to automatically couple the hook to the top edge of the door; and

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9, but showing the bag and hook coupled to the top edge of a door which is thinner than the door illustrated in FIGS. 2, 8 and 9.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 denotes a typical garment carrying bag with which the invention can be utilized. Said bag essentially comprises .a rectangular enclosure or envelope which in outstretched full length condition comprises two broad oblong walls 12, 14. The long edges of the broad walls are joined by side walls 16. The short edges of the broad walls are joined by end walls 18. One of the broad walls, e.g. the wall 14 which is outermost when the bag is folded, is provided with a reinforcing strip (not shown) extending transversely across the center of said wall 14 and forming a stiffened zone 20 to which there is attached in any suitable fashion, a carrying handle 22.

When the bag 10 is in its outstretched full length condition, as shown, for instance, in FIG. 2, the stiffened zone 20 and carrying handle 22 are superfluous and serve no function; however when the bag is to be transported by hand it is transversely centrally folded below and to both sides of the stiffened zone 20 so that the folded bag constitutes two parallel sections joined at and below the stifiened zone as shown in FIG. 1. In this position the handle 22 is uppermost and can be used to carry the bag about from place to place. The bag is flexible, at least at the broad wall 12 below the stiffened zone and at the broad wall 14 to both sides of the stiffened zone, to permit this folding to be effected. The bag as thus described is a popular and well known item of luggage often referred to as a car sack or car bag. No claim to novelty is made as to any detail of the overall basic construction of the bag and indeed the same may vary con- 7 t siderably from one manufacturer to another. Simply by way of example it may be pointed out that a detailed construction of another such bag is shown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,702,105.

The bag 10 may include latching means 24 which can be manipulated when the bag is folded to detachably secure the two parallel depending sections of the bag to one another. This, too, forms no part of the present invention and is a conventional adjunct of a garment carrying bag. A typical latching means is shown described and claimed in copending application Serial No. 77,123 filed by David Levine on December 20, 1962, for Luggage.

Attention is directed to the fact that when the bag is in folded transportable condition, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the two end walls 18 are lowermost. At this time when the carrying handle 22 is uppermost the end walls 18 rest on the ground, unless, of course, the bag is being carried. Accordingly, it is desirable and proper that the end walls 18 not include any member which projects substantially therefrom and would prevent the bag from being placed on the floor with its end walls lowermost. This, of course, does not exclude the desirability of using conventional short legs, or reinforcements at the corners of the bag, to prevent wear of the end walls but it does preclude the presence of a permanently projecting external hook.

As is usual in garment carrying bags of the character described suitable external means is included to hang the bag from a support such as a stationary hook or a horizontal rod or the top edge of a door. This is done to enable the bag to be hung by one of its ends so that the bag can dangle outstretched in the full length condition illustrated in FIG. 2 whereby the garments in the bag can be hung inside the bag at full length so as to minimize wrinkling. As indicated earlier, such a hanging means comprises an external hook together with a suitable articulated joint between the base end of the shank of the hook and one of the end walls 18. By virtue of this articulated joint the book can be swung from an operative projecting position such as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7-10 to an idle folded condition such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 wherein the hook lies flat against the end wall so that it will not prevent the bag from being seated on a floor.

More particularly, I provide an external self-formmaintaining strong metal wire hook 26 consisting of a shank 28 at the distal end (tip) of which is formed a bend generically indicated by the reference numeral 30. The

particular shape. of the bend 30 in the preferred form of my invention will be described in detail hereinafter. However, in general, it may be said that the hook 26, i.e. the bend 30. together with the shank 28, has the general shape of a J. The base end of the shank is provided with a head 32, i.e. an enlargement, the purpose of which soon will be apparent. This head may, for example, be in the shape of a disc.

The head 32 is captively retained within a metal turret 34 in the form of a hemispherical dome of sheet metal having an outturned annular flange 36 at its rim. This flange is located in juxtaposition to or immediately adja cent a metal panel 37 which in turn has the rear surface thereof in face to face contact with a central portion of one of the end walls 18. The turret is formed with a radial slot 38 running from adjacent the rim to slightly past the apex of the turret and extending along a great circle. The slot is sufiiciently wide to freely pass the shank 28 but it is narrower than the head 32 whereby the turret operates, as noted above, to hold the head captive therein.

The annular flange 36 is seated within a shallow annular depression 40 offset upwardly around a central opening 12 in a metal plate 44 that is superimposed on, is of the same shape as and is coextensive with the panel 37. Said plate 44 is formed with openings that receive squat tubular open-ended collars 45 extending upwardly from and in one piece with the panel 3'7. These collars are force-fitted in the openings in the plate 44- whereby the collars serve to permanently secure the panel 37 to the plate 44. Furthermore, since the collars are hollow and open-ended they enable the panel 37 and plate 44 to be permanently secured as a unit, as by rivets 46, to the end wall 18 on which the bag hook is located. The panel 37 thus functions to captively hold the head 32 in the turret 34 and thereby to integrate the hook 26 to theswivel joint. The depression 4-0 is sufficiently deep to fully receive the flange and need not be any deeper. Preferably, the end wall is stiffened, as by the inclusion of a reinforcing panel 48.

It will be appreciated that with the arrangement just described the turret 34 can rotate freely with respect to the plate 44 about an axis perpendicular to the end wall thereby enabling the slot 38 to assume any position in azimuth. More particularly when the bag is folded as shown in FIG. 1 so that the end wall 1% is horizontal the aforesaid rotatability of the turret enables the hook to be swung about a vertical axis.

Furthermore the provision of the slot 38 enables the hook to be turned about an axis parallel to the end wall. This enables the bag hook to be swung between one position in which it is generally perpendicular to the end wall and another position in which it is flat against the end wall. In addition the bag hook can, of course, be rotated about the longitudinal axis of the shank 28.

In other words the articulated joint thus far described provides a swivel connection between the bag hook and the end wall, permitting polar movement of the bag hook and rotation of the bag hook about its own axis. Such a mounting enables the bag hook to be properly positioned for hanging the bag from a support external to the bag, e.g., a wall hook, a rod or the top of a door. It also hollows the hook to be folded to an out-ofthe-way position flat against the end wall 18 when the bag is folded for carrying or setting on the floor.

As thus far described the swivel joint interconnecting the bag hook and the outer end wall is conventional, except for the special shape of the hook 26 which will be described in detail hereinafter. As will be appreciated, the described joint is subject to the defect that the bag hook will not maintain itself in any position to which it is set when a user has both of his hands fully occupied with lifting a heavy bag and this makes it difficult to hang a loaded bag on an external support. i

Mention also should be made at this point of the conventional means which sometimes is employed to maintain the hook in idle, i.e. flat, position. It will be apparent that with a limp articulated joint, eg a flexible strap joint or a swivel joint such as has been described up to this point, the bag hook will automatically fold flat against the outer end surface 18 when the end surface is uppermost and one is trying to hang the bag. Just the reverse action takes place when the bag is folded. Then the hook will swing out to projecting position where it is not wanted. Heretofore it has been the standard practice to include means to retain the hook flat against the bag when the hook is not in use thereby to prevent the hook inadvertently catching on some other object and to prevent the hook from being bent. Such retaining means, for example, may comprise a rectangular panel 49 of limp material having an adjoining pair of edges secured to the end wall 18 and adapted to overlie the flat-folded hook. The free corner of the panel 49 is adapted to be held against the end wall 18 by a snap fastener one half of which is secured to the panel 49, the other half to the end wall.

Pursuant to a feature of the present invention there is provided an extremely simple arrangement for improving the aforesaid articulated joint whereby to enable said joint to hold the bag hook erectwhen this is wanted and also to enable said joint to retain the bag hook flat against the bag when the bag is to be carried about after folding, although of course the limp panel 49 minimizes the necesbe freely slidable over the metal wire constituting the hook 26. Its length preferably is in the order of or somewhat greater than the diameter of the turret 34. The ring 52 has a central opening on the order of that of the spring so that it, too, can easily he slid over the bag hook 26. The spring is held under compression between the head 32 and the ring 52 whereby the spring presses the ring firmly against the inner surface of the turret in all positions of the bag hook.

It will be appreciated that my improved articulated joint can be'assembled rapidly and with ease. To do so one simply slips first the spring and then the ring onto the bag hook 26 and slides them down to the head 32. Next the tip of the bag hook is introduced into the turret slot from beneath and the full hook drawn through said slot until the ring is seated on the inner surface of the turret. Thereupon the bag hook is threaded through the opening in the plate 44 until the turret flange is seated in the depression 40. Now the metal panel 37 is placed beneath the metal plate 44 with the collars 45 extending into the openings in the plate 44 and frictionally forcefitted therein so as to permanently secure said panel to the plate and thereby captively hold the head 32 in the turret 34 as a complete unit. Finally, the unit is placed on the end wall' 18 and is held there, as by the rivets 46.

If desired the ring 52 may, in effect, be made functionally integral with the upper end of the spring 50, as by forming the endmost one or ,two convolutions of the spring to a larger diameter than the remainder of the convolutions and further, if desired, by decreasing the pitch between such endmost convolutions so that these convolutions are in contact with one another.

In the assembled condition of my new articulated connection the spring 56 presses the ring 52 into frictional contact with the undersurface of the turret. The friction thereby engendered is sufficient to hold the bag hook in any position which it is caused to assume by hand.

However the friction is mild and generates only a few inch-ounces of torque so that it is comparatively easy to move the bag hook to any desired position. More particularly, when the bag hook extends in a generally upward direction (see FIG. 5) the spring forces the head 32 into frictional contact with the panel 37, forces the ring 52 into frictional contact with the turret 34 (the ring being movable with the shank 28) and forces the flange 36 into frictional contact with the seat 40. All of these frictional contacts bind (freeze) the bag hook in its generally vertical position. Thus the first frictional contact inhibits the bag hook from turning about the longitudinal axis of the shank. The second frictional contact inhibits the ring and, therefore, the bag hook from moving along the slot 38. The third frictional contact inhibits the turret from turning in the plate 44. When the hook is folded flat (see FIGS. 3 and 4), the spring forces the head 32 into frictional contact with the sloped inner surface of the turret 3d and, by a camming action against the turret, forces the head into frictional contact with the panel 37. The spring also forces the ring 52 into frictional contact with the turret. The camming action of the ring 52 and the head 32 against the undersurface of the turret causes the spring to urge the turret outwardly so as to force the flange 36 into frictional contact with the depression 40. Thereby the various frictional contacts present when the bag hook is flat inhibit the bag book from turning about its longitudinal axis, inhibit the 7 bag hook from moving along the slot and inhibit the turret from turning.

When one wishes to hang the bag from a rod or a stationary hook, the bag hook 26 is swung to its generally vertical position as shown in solid lines in FIG. 7 and then is rotated about a vertical axis indicated by the arrow A in this figure until the hook is in its proper position for hanging from -a rod or stationary hook. Then the user holds the bag with both hands and manipulates the bag to engage the bag hook 26 with the available rod or stationary hook. He does not have to hold the bag with one hand while holding the hook in a generally ventical position with the other hand.

However, even though the hook 26 will remain in a generally vertical position, the user still has difficulty in manipulating a heavily loaded bag so as to couple the bag hook to a rod or a stationary hook. This is due to the fact that the bag must be moved from side to side and from front to back in order to locate the bag hook directly above the stationary hook or rod from which it is to be hung. Thereafter the bag is lowered to couple the bag hook to the rod or stationary hook. The difiiculty of such manipulation is further enhanced by the fact that the bag itself may be concealing the rod or stationary hook during this maneuvering.

According to a further feature of my invention I therefore have modified the shape of the bag hook 26 to overcome the aforesaid difficulty. This modification consists in altering the shape of the bag hook from that of a simple J or question mark, as is conventional and substituting for the same the configuration illustrated in the drawings.

More particularly, the new configuration comprises a short reach 54 that extends away from the head 32. This reach in effect constitutes the lower (distal or base) portion of the shank 28. The upper, i.e. major, portion of the shank is at an angle of about 45 to the reach 54. The reach 54 should be long enough to extend beyond the turret. For example, satisfactory results are secured when the length of the reach-is in the vicinity of A of an inch, and preferably projects about /2 an inch from the outer surface of the turret. The purpose of this reach and of the angular relationship of the major portion of the shank 28 with respect thereto is to obtain an angular relationship between said major portion of the shank and the end wall 18 when the reach 54 is parallel to said end wall as shown in FIG. 8 and when the bag hook 26 is turned so that the major portion of the shank iscontained in the same vertical plane as the reach 54.

t The bight, i.e. bend 30, of the bag hook 26 is of undulatory configuration which includes a first bend 56 of comparatively large radius, e.g. of about of an inch radius, and which covers an arc of approximately 135. Said first bend 56 is directly connected to the shank 28 and terminates at a straight section 58 which connects the first bend 56 to a second bend or offset 60. Both bends 56 and 60 are inwardly concave. The bend 60 terminates in a straight tip 62 which is approximately aligned with the straight section 58.

The distal portion of the second bend 60, i.e. the portion immediately adjacent the tip 62, is roughly parallel to the major portion of the shank 28 (actually it flares away therefrom at a small angle in the order of 10) and is spaced therefrom a distance slightly in excess of two inches, e.g. about 2% inches, two inches being the approximate thickness of a thick door such as is found in hotels and oflice buildings. The distal portion of the bend 56, i.e. the portion remote from the shank 28, is about 1 /2 inches from said shank, 1% inches being approximately the thickness of a thin door, such as is found in homes.

Thereby, the bag book 26 in actuality provides two hooks in one. One of the hooks is of the proper width to engage the two sides of the top edge of a thin door and the other is of the proper width to engage the two sides of the top edge of a thick door. In both instances, the major portion of the shank 28, which major portion is above the reach 54, acts as one common side of the hook, while the straight section 58 acts as the other side of the narrower hook and the distal end of the second bend (it) acts as the other side of the broader hook. Preferably all parts of the hook 26, i.e. the reach 54, the shank 28, the first bend 56, the straight section 5%, the second bend 60 and the tip 62 lie in a common plane.

To hang the bag Iii from a door the user first positions the bag hook 26 as shown in FIG. 8. In this position the reach 54 is parallel to the bag and is perpendicular to the wall 12,14 that will be nearest the door. The hook 26 is turned to the highest vertical position it can assume with the reach 54 positioned as described. Phrased differently, the major portion of the shank 28 and the double bend 30 (inclusive of the bends 56, 60) are in the vertical plane that includes the reach 54. It will be understood that the hook is thus positioned before the bag is lifted. If desired, placement of the hook in such angular position with respect to the plane of the end wall 18 may be facilitated by providing the disc 32 with a flat 33 which in such angular position of the hook is in face-to-face contact with the panel 37. Now the bag is raised by the user to a height sufiicient to elevate the hook 26 above the top edge 64 of a door and at the same time the bag is placed with a wall 12 or 14 flat against the door. Then the bag is lowered.

The first thing of significance that occurs as the bag is lowered is that the position shown in FIG. 8 is reached. At this time, the major portion of the shank which is angled upwardly to the horizontal strikes the corner of the top of the door that is closer to the bag. As the bag continues to be lowered a camming action takes place between this angled major portion of the shank and the corner of the door, which carnrning action causes the shank 28 to swing upwardly while the bag is moving down. Assuming that the door is thick, i.e. two inches, continued lowering of the bag eventually will cause the corner of the top edge of the door that is remote from the bag to engage the distal end of the second, i.e. remoter, bend 69 as shown in FIG. 9 whereupon the bag may be released and it will hang from the door.

All the foregoing action takes place much more quickly than the time required to read the description. It is to be observed that it was not necessary to exert any special care in order to vertically align the bag hook with the top edge of the door from which it was to be hung. This alignment was automatically taken care of by pressing the bag against the broad face of thedoor and by allowing the top edge of the door to swing the hook to its proper hanging position through the camming action. Thus it was not necessary to have any delicate front-toback horizontal adjustment of the bag for alignment purposes. Also because the top edge of the door is horizontally elongated, no lateral horizontal adjustment of the bag was necessary.

In the event that the bag is hung from a thin door as shown in FIG. 10 only the first bend 56 functions and in this case the bag will descend to a lower level and the hook will swing higher before the coupling is completed. However, this selection as to which of the two bends 56, 6% will become operative is entirely automatic, that is to say, if the door is wider than the bend 56 descent of the bag hook will be checked when the upper part of the bend 6t) strikes the top edge of the door as illustrated in FIG. 9. If the door is thin this checking motion will not take place until the narrower bend 56 strikes the top edge of the door as illustrated in FIG. 10.

When the bag is to be folded for transport the user collapses thebag hook fiat against the outer end wall as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 7 by moving the hook in the direction indicated by the arrow B. This causes the reach 54 of the bag hook to traverse the arcuate slot 33. At this time the bag hook may not be in proper angular orientation in azimuth and may protrude from an edge of the bag. It is desirable to so position the hook that it is in the position shown in FIG. 3. To achieve this position the user turns the folded bag hook in the direction indicated by the arrow C in FIG. 3 thus rotating the bag hook and turret 34 in the depression 40 until the desired location is reached. The bag hook now can be released and it will retain its proper folded position by virtue of the action of the spring 50. However, as a precaution, the limp panel 49 preferably is placed over the hook and is held in place by the snap fastener to keep the bag hook out of harms way.

It thus will be seen that there is provided an external hanger for a garment bag which achieves the several objects of this invention, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, there is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent:

1. In combination with a garment carrying bag having an outer end wall, a bag hook for enabling the bag to be hung in outstretched full length condition from a support and a swivel joint between the hook and the wall to allow the hook to be swung between a position in which it projects away from the outer end wall and another position in which it lies flat against said wall, said joint including means frictionally binding the joint in any set position and thereby fixing the position of the bag hook and yet allowing said bag hook to be swung by hand, said hook including a shank constituting a base directly connected to the swivel joint and a major portion remote from said swivel joint and extending away from said base at a substantial angle to the base whereby when the base is parallel to the outer end wall of the bag the major portion of the shank may be arranged at a substantial angle to said end wall, the shank and the 10 bends being disposed in a common plane, the hook being disposed on the side of the shank opposite from the side of the shank containing the included angle between the major portion and the base of the shank.

2. In combination with a garment carrying bag having an outer end wall, a bag hook for enabling the bag to be hung in outstretched full length condition from a support and a swivel joint between the hook and the wall to allow the hook to be swung between a position in which it projects away from the outer end wall and another position in which it lies flat against said wall, said joint including means frictionally binding the joint in any set position and thereby fixing the position of the bag hook and yet allowing said bag hook to be swung by hand, said hook including a shank, a first bend and a second bend, said first bend being directly connected to the shank and said second bend being connected to said first bend, the distal end of the first bend being closer to the shank than the distal end of the second bend, said shank and bends being disposed in a common plane, said shank further including a base directly connected to the swivel joint and a major portion remote from the swivel joint and extending away from said base at a substantial angle to the base whereby when the base is parallel to the outer end wall of the bag the major portion of the shank may be arranged at a substantial angle to said end wall, the,

first bend being disposed on the end of the shank opposite from the end of the shank containing the included angle between the major portion and the base of the shank.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,012,741 8/35 Brown 248--214 X 2,274,420 2/42 Katcher 287- 2,309,399 1/43 Kohl 206-74 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,033,442 4/53 France.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A GARMENT CARRYING BAG HAVING AN OUTER END WALL, A BAG HOOK FOR ENABLING THE BAG TO BE HUNG IN OUTSTRETCHED FULL LENGTH CONDITION FROM A SUPPORT AND A SWIVEL JOINT BETWEEN THE HOOK AND THE WALL TO ALLOW THE HOOK TO BE SWUNG BETWEEN A POSITION IN WHICH IT PROJECTS AWAY FROM THE OUTER END WALL AND ANOTHER POSITION IN WHICH IT LIES FLAT AGAINST SAID WALL, SAID JOINT INCLUDING MEANS FRICTIONALLY BINDING THE JOINT IN ANY SET POSITION AND THEREBY FIXING THE POSITION OF THE BAG HOOK AND YET ALLOWING SAID BAG HOOK TO BE SWUNG BY HAND, SAID HOOK INCLUDING A SHANK CONSTITUTING A BASE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE SWIVEL JOINT AND A MAJOR PORTION REMOTE FROM SAID SWIVEL JOINT AND EXTENDING AWAY FROM SAID BASE AT A SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE TO THE BASE WHEREBY WHEN THE BASE IS PARALLEL TO THE OUTER END WALL OF THE BAG THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE SHANK MAY BE ARRANGED AT A SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE TO SAID END WALL, THE SHANK AND THE BENDS BEING DISPOSED IN A COMMON PLANE, THE HOOK BEING DISPOSED ON THE SIDE OF THE SHANK OPPOSITE FROM THE SIDE OF THE SHANK CONTAINING THE INCLUDED ANGLE BETWEEN THE MAJOR PORTION AND THE BASE OF THE SHANK. 